An earthquake measuring 3.0 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale hit the Iranian city of Shahroud in the northeast at 19:21 hours local time (15:51 GMT) on Saturday.

The seismological base of Semnan, affiliated to the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University, registered the epicent! er of the quake 120 km southern Shahroud. There were no reports on damage inflicted by the quake. Iran is one of the most quake-prone countries in the world, with mild tremors an almost daily occurrence, said the Iranian official news agency (IRNA).

An official recently said that since 1991, over 950 earthquakes had jolted Iran, claiming 17,600 lives and injuring 53,300 others. (Albawaba.com)